On Sep 15, 12:15 pm, kathy wrote:
I'm sure more folks will jump in but I'll start :-)

Other things to think about - how are you set for wildlife
around there? Raccoons specifically.

Vertical sides (no plant shelves) and a thought out ahead
plan for netting is a good idea (for leaves in the fall - do
needles shed all year round or just at one time?).

For predators you can also use electric fencing or motion
activated sprinklers. Results will vary.

I think the size sounds good and I'm all for deeper is
better. If you keep a hole open in the days you have ice
(if you do) you will be fine for winter care.

For plants you can put them on black overturned plastic *milk*
cartons (usually sold at office supply stores). I have my plants
on an island built of aged builder's brick - makes nice fishy
condos.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

kathy :-)

Thanks for the input, Kathy! The area I'm landscaping is completely
fenced in, so most wildlife isn't a problem. I'll have squirrels, and
the occasional stray cat, but that's all. Well, of course there are
frogs and lizards, but I hope to encourage more of those! I don't
think that any of these would be a significant problem.

The only thing that DOES worry me is black snakes. I have one large
black snake that stays nearby, but she keeps mice, rats, and other
snakes away so I'm OK with that. She can get into the back yard, too,
though, and I don't think there's anything I could do about it. Do
black snakes go after fish?

Pine needles are mostly in the fall, but I have sap and what I call
"pine nuts" all year long. I don't know what they're really called,
but they're little hard things things that fall out of the pine trees.
These are the things that messed up my pool water, though, so I know
that I'll have the same problem here; I'm just hoping that with the
pond being smaller and with a live habitat that it won't be as much of
a problem.

I love the idea of using builder's bricks for plant stands! I have a
ton of those, so that's perfect. Why do you recommend vertical sides
of the pond, though? I had originally planned to use rock to create a
steep slope, with the hopes that it would hold algae for the fish to
eat and give me a place for plants.

Do you use any type of filter for your pond? I've gotten very mixed
information on that, so I'm not sure how to handle it.

Finally, what do you think about the idea of the culvert attaching the
big pond to the small one? Will fish actually use the culvert to come
to the smaller pond for food?